"This is the third year Xander has done this for us and it is by far one of the most successful food drives we see come into the food bank."

MANASQUAN – Most children prepare for birthdays by figuring out where to hold a party and what gifts they want – but one Manasquan 12-year-old does it differently.

As Xander Bossone’s 13th birthday approached, he contacted a grocery store, a non-profit organization and a local food bank, because instead of doing something for himself, he wants to give back to the community.

For the past two years Bossone has held a food drive in the Acme parking lot for his birthday, instead of typical celebrations – and he wasn’t going to make this birthday any different.

In total, one box truck was almost filled in the Acme parking lot in Manasquan and $1,645 was raised, according to Donna Bossone, Xander’s mother. The total weight was not immediately available Sunday night.

“We did good considering the weather and the storm and everything,” she said.

The first year Xander held the drive, 5,565 pounds of food was collected, and last year 5,688 pounds was donated.

“This is definitely an annual event. It’s a lot of work, a lot of time and effort goes into it, but its well worth it,” Donna Bossone said.

When Xander was 10 years old he asked his mother if he could hold a food drive instead of a party for his 11th birthday. He did not remember exactly how he came up with the idea, but not too long before he had collected food with his Boy Scout troop which he believes contributed to his inspiration.

At first, him and his mother were going to try to fill their SUV with the donations, but then Xander remembered a business card he had from Lowy’s Moving Service after the scout food drive.

Lowy’s donated a truck and boxes for him to use, along with the Neptune-based non-profit organization Move For Hunger, which works with moving companies to box up unwanted, non-perishable items when people are moving, and donates them to local food banks.

Ahern Printing & Graphics donates the flyers, a local firefighter DJ’s the event and several organizations and businesses, including Acme grocery store, make a large donation each year.

A class at Sequoyah Middle School in Broken Arrow, Okla. found out about what Xander was doing and sent him birthday cards and $50, praising his efforts. He plans to Skype with the class soon.

Linda Keenan, the director of development at The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, was inspired by Xander’s efforts.

“This is the third year Xander has done this for us and it is by far one of the most successful food drives we see come into the food bank. And he is such a role model for not only other young people in the community but for everyone in the community because he demonstrates that it only takes one person to make a difference and bring a town together.”

Before the storm, the food bank fed 127,000 people, with 51,000 of them children, and that number has increased after Hurricane Sandy, according to Keenan. In the past four weeks, the food bank distributed more than 1.2 million pounds of food, which equates to more than 1 million meals.

“This will be a big help because we have seen an exponential increase in demand and need since the hurricane,” Keenan said. “This type of food drive is important because we have to keep supporting the people who suffer from hunger year-round as well as the new displaced families.”

To donate directly to the food bank, visit their website or call 732-918-2600 x240.